USP-S | Cortex (Battle-Scarred)

Skin overview

The Cortex design is a mix of pink organic swirls, a black silencer and a skull motif on the grip of the USP-S. In Battle-Scarred large parts of the paint are worn through, leaving fragments of pink and green over exposed metal. It suits a buyer who wants the recognisable pink scheme in its most beaten-up form.

Item type: pistol. The weapon is available only on the Counter-Terrorist side. Classified is the second-rarest weapon tier, only Covert sits above it.

Custom Paint Job: hand-painted across the whole body; this is the type where wear shows most, the artwork rubs down to metal.

Appearance in Battle-Scarred

The silencer is black with thick pink swirls outlined in dark lines, and the central loops form the letters USP along its length. The slide has a pale silver-green base with dark green brush-like strokes, while pink brain-like folds spread across its rear half and spill down toward the frame.

Most of the silencer is worn down to metal, with only fragments of the pink swirls left. The slide shows heavy wear across the top and edges, and the skull on the grip is partly erased. In game the pistol looks grey and scratched with scattered pink patches. Only recessed areas of the slide and grip keep noticeable colour.

Battle-Scarred wear: float 0.45–1

The whole float range of USP-S | Cortex is 0–1; Battle-Scarred takes the 0.45–1 segment (55% of the scale). The lower the float within the range, the cleaner the surface looks and the higher a copy is usually priced.

Origin of the skin

The skin’s collection is The Clutch Collection with 17 skins in total.

It drops from Clutch Case.

What it costs in each quality

Taking Battle-Scarred as the baseline:

• Factory New — 9.5× dearer
• Minimal Wear — 2.1× dearer
• Field-Tested — 9% dearer
• Well-Worn — 4% dearer

Based on the cheapest SkinOut.gg listing of each quality, otherwise on the market reference.

By price this skin is 6th of 7 skins Classified USP-S in this quality (the first being the dearest).

StatTrak™ and Souvenir

There is also a the StatTrak™ version: the counter on the weapon tracks kills. Right now it is 2.2× dearer than the regular one. There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Which stickers suit it

Pink, black and pale green stickers match the artwork, and holo or foil stickers in pink tones blend well with the swirls. Placing stickers on the slide keeps the USP lettering on the silencer visible.

What to check before buying

• Check the float within the chosen grade, since the silencer tip and lettering show the difference first.
• Look at the top edge of the slide, where the pink folds and green strokes wear through early.
• Inspect the rear of the grip to see how much of the skull remains on worn copies.
• Note any applied stickers or name tag, as they change the look and can affect the price of the copy.

Who should buy Battle-Scarred

• Players who prefer a heavily worn, battle-used look.
• The cheapest way to own this USP-S.
• Worth it only if the scratched metal look is what you want.